The Midas Touch

by Jan Mark

When King Midas helps a strange old creature tied up in his vineyard, he is granted a wish for his kindness. He wishes that all he touches should be turned to gold. However, he soon learns that having the golden touch is a terrible gift indeed.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

25 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2000

About the author

Janet Marjorie Mark (1943-2006) was a British children's author and two time winner of the Carnegie Medal. She also taught art and English in Gravesend, Kent, was part of the faculty of Education at Oxford Polytechnic in the early 1980s and was a tutor and mentor to other writers before her death from meningitis-related septicaemia.

Meet the author:

What is your favourite animal?
The noble rat

What is your favourite boy’s name?
George

What is your favourite girl’s name?
Marjorie

What is your favourite food?
Pickled herring

What is your favourite music?
Klezmer

What is your favourite hobby?
Listening to music

Reviews

[A · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a beautiful book, maybe I should get a copy and frame some of its pages. The retelling is well done, although the ending has been severely tamed, so don't read this to get the real story. Each illustration represents the text. The way everything turns more and more gold is amazing. The text and images are framed by beautiful Mediterranean mosaics.

Illustrated by Juan Wijngaard.

[Kristen Fort · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully illustrated retelling of the myth of Midas. It did leave out the part that Midas had touched his daughter and accidentally turned her into gold. A major detail, but oh well. I loved how the mosaic motifs on the pages gradually turned into gold and then came back into original colors at the end.

[Relaiabanana]

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